The invention relates to banana flavored foods.
Many snack foods and breakfast cereals consist of a starchy food base which has been heated, e.g., by hot air or by frying in edible oil. The heat lowers the moisture content in the food to make the food shelf stable at room temperature. Flavorings or condiments are added prior to, during, or after heating, and the snacks or breakfast cereals are normally crunchy when eaten.
It is known that banana chips, a snack food, can be sugar sweetened, unsweetened, honey flavored, salted, or chocolate coated.
It is also known to make unsweetened or "natural" banana chips by a process similar to the process of making of potato chips. According to the process, green bananas having a high starch residual content are peeled, sliced, deep fried and drained. Salty banana or plantain chips are made by sprinkling the fried chips with salt after draining. Sweet banana chips are made by frying the slices a first time, coating the chips with a sugar solution, frying them a second time, and draining the fried chips. A banana essence may be added to either the sweetened, salted, or unsweetened chips after frying to provide the chips with additional banana flavor.